Remotely operated robotic vehicles are used with greater frequency by the military and police. Typically, such a vehicle is provided with a fiber optic cable, or other flexible conduit, which is paid out from a cable storage drum as the vehicle advances. A television or other electronic camera is mounted on the vehicle and provides video information to an operator at the console via the fiber optic cable. The cable may also provide a signal path for sensors or robotic devices mounted on the vehicle. For such types of systems, when a vehicle is commanded to stop and back up for a short distance (i.e., to avoid obstacles) before resuming forward motion, the slack in the cable may become snarled or the vehicle may run over its own cable, causing damage.